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Ireland: Ireland saved by own goal

FROM staring into the abyss, Ireland saw their bid to qualify for Euro 2004 firmly on the ascendancy having secured a fortunate stoppage-time winner against Albania at Lansdowne Road yesterday. With Switzerland only managing a 2-2 draw at home to Russia last night, Brian Kerr’s team now have a great opportunity of still finishing top of Group 10, something virtually unimaginable only two months ago.

This tense encounter seemed to be heading for an unsatisfactory 1-1 draw and the situation looked truly bleak when Ireland’s talisman Damian Duff, hobbled off with a suspected hamstring injury that could keep him out of Wednesday’s game with Georgia.

Two minutes later, however, and three minutes into stoppage time, Gary Doherty, the hero in Tbilisi in March, popped up again and helped his country to all three points.

Doherty didn’t score the decisive goal this time but it was his shot across the six-yard